


Pizza in Bed

by SoonerOrLater



Series: I Guess I'll Just Lie Here [10]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Coming Out, Fluff, M/M, New Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoonerOrLater/pseuds/SoonerOrLater
Summary: On their five month anniversary, David bring Patrick Pizza in bed. One of his top 3 things to do in bed. But Patrick hasn't been sleeping lately, it's been a rough month.Set five months in, so post 'The Barbeque' and 'The Olive Branch' but before Singles Week.part of the 'I Guess I'll Just Lie Here' series, where these two lay down in various situations. But can be read alone.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Series: I Guess I'll Just Lie Here [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1886797
Comments: 20
Kudos: 131





	Pizza in Bed

Patrick was tired. Not just ‘Oh it’s been a long day’ tired but a ‘it’s been a long month’ kind of bone tired that actually by now kind of hurt. He was also aware he was being grumpy and irritable. And if he could just get maybe one evening’s rest he might just be ok. But he had too much to do right now. Maybe by the weekend. 

The day hadn’t ended brilliantly. He’d managed to walk into the wall of the store cupboard while carrying a box, smashing on jar of jam in a manner than made it look like a murder scene. And staining his shirt in the process. His mood hadn’t been improved by 30 minutes on the phone to technical support for the register, while David dealt with the busiest portion of the day. And then to top it off he’d snapped at David twice. Once over the spilled jam, which was indeed his fault. And another when he said he didn’t care about the candle display right that second. He felt terrible, and they’d passed the end of the day in a tense silence. David had muttered something about meeting his Mom for dinner and given him a quick kiss goodnight before scampering out of his way. He’d make it right. But he felt terrible. 

It had started with the whole barbeque and Rachel mess. He’d lost a good week of decent sleep to that. While also obviously running the Store. And it hadn’t helped that this was the month he’d decided to pick up on his online Business and Accounting course. It was good, it was worth it. He submitted a big paper yesterday, after staying up until midnight to finish it. And he was feeling it today. But it was going to be worth it- in a year he figured he might be able to do a Masters in business or similar and that would really help them- he’d been planning all this for his career before the Store but it seemed more important now that he invest in his studies so he could be ready to take things to the next level. But he was doing that on top of running a new business. And having a new relationship. Both of which were taking up a lot of headspace. 

So he was tired. And tonight Ray was out at his Historic Reenactment Society so he had until at least 10pm to himself. He had so much to do. Emails for the Store needed answering, he really should finish the figures for this quarter to get ahead of himself. He should also make a plan for the next module of his course and when he was going to get it all done. He checked the time, 5.30 he could get in a couple of hours work now, before throwing some dinner together and hopefully getting an early night. Or at least a decent night’s sleep. It wasn’t like him not to sleep but the last month had been a lot. 

He made use of his old desk in Ray’s office when he needed a workspace at home, and luckily Ray had decided against replacing him so mostly-unless one of Ray’s ‘projects’ expanded over it, he had it all to himself. He turned on his computer, and pulled out the folder of notes and the slightly battered course outline and textbook. He sighed. It would be worth it. He reminded himself. To do everything themselves meant they could grow the business. And that in five years time they’d be in a better place. 

Five years time. He couldn’t help but feel a slight anxiety about thinking that far ahead. Not only had he never been in a position to plan before- mostly he’d spent his twenties not figuring out what he was doing in more ways than one. But also he was aware of the bigger impact of thinking five years ahead with the Store. It wasn’t, he realised just his job any more it was his whole life. Which is why these courses were important. 

He hadn’t told David about them. He didn’t really know why. Probably because it felt too much like he was planning for their future, as much as his own. And he didn’t know how David would respond to that. Just five months in. It was their anniversary tomorrow. As much as he’d been warned off his gift giving previously, he felt that continued baked goods were a safe bet, and he had a chocolate fudge cake with a warning note for Ray in the fridge. He hoped that would also gloss over some of his foul mood today. And all week he conceded. 

He decided to start with some planning. He needed logic and planning to feel in control and being in control was the only way he functioned. He made fun of David’s need to be in control, but really they were different sides of the same coin- needing a certain way of things to feel calm. Other people- possibly David would blow off the evening after a big assignment and take a break. Patrick needed to plan for what was coming to feel in control. To feel slightly calmer. Because if he was honest it sometimes felt like life was going at 100 miles an hour right now. 

But he was also really, really tired. 

Still power through and then you can sleep he reminded himself. He set about looking up all the dates for the next module. And all the work. Next looking up the text books and articles sorting them into a list. That felt better. An hour had gone by already. He might as well finish. He yawned. Maybe if he put his head down for a 10 minute power nap. 

He jumped awake at the desk. David was standing in Ray’s living room/office space holding a pizza and looking a bit bewildered. 

‘Um hello’ he said with a smile. ‘Sleeping on what, your night receptionist job for Ray?’

Patrick sat up properly and blinked, ‘David what are you?’ he straightened his shirt, ‘I was just doing some...stuff.’

‘Bringing us pizza.’ David said ‘The door was unlocked, I assumed you were upstairs or Ray was in here.’ he shrugged. Patrick looked dishevelled in a way that wasn’t un-attractive, not that there was much he could do to be unattractive. ‘What are you working on? Is it for the Store? Are we in trouble are you like sneaking accounts home?’ a note of panic rose in his voice he was trying to sound like he was joking but also slightly worried. 

‘Um Hello?’ Patrick said standing up finally, as David reached him, and leaned over, pizza perfectly balanced on one hand, another reaching around to the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Oh. Yes.’ David remembered his original mission after being sidelined by panic, and saying hello to the deliciously ruffled Patrick. ‘I come bearing pizza. For both a slightly early anniversary celebration, because it’s Ray’s Historical Reenactment Night.’ he paused mid flow wondering whether to add the next ‘And because frankly I thought you looked wrecked earlier, but you look worse now. Are you ok?’ 

‘You looked wrecked is such a charming anniversary sentiment’ Patrick half frowned, half smirked at him. ‘You brought me pizza because I looked tired?’ it was the most David of romantic gestures. 

‘Well, I also, plan to eat the pizza so it was not entirely unselfish’ he said. 

Patrick smiled, a full whole smile that he generally found himself reserving for David these days. He saw and looked pleased. Then cast his eyes down. 

‘What are you doing? I mean I was half joking about the Store being in trouble but…’ He looked down and saw pages of Patrick’s neat writing, lists of dates and the well thumbed textbook. ‘Are you...studying?’ 

Patrick was suddenly embarrassed. He had no idea why, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. ‘Um yeah actually I’ve been just...this online course, it doesn’t matter.’ he tried to shuffle the pages out of the way, but David, with his pizza-free hand swooped in and picked up the course outline. 

A business and accounting course, and this was clearly a second or third module. Patrick had been taking business classes. He brought a hand up to his mouth- a hand that also still held the paperwork as the other one was balancing a pizza- to cover his smile. He quickly realised there was no point. So he dropped his hand and grinned. Something about this just warmed him. As much as clearly this was something Patrick was doing for himself, it was also- at least in part- motivated by the Store, by their Store and wanting to make it a success. He bit his lip. 

‘You went back to school.’ he said an eyebrow going upwards. 

‘Yeah.’ Patrick said confused. God, he was probably thinking he’d gone into business with a total fraud who was playing catch up. Who’d somehow tricked him into letting him have a part in it, without any qualifications. ‘It’s for extra qualifications- my Undergrad was a business major, I mean I have all that, I can even show you transcripts, but to get onto Masters Courses or even MBAs I need to update so I’m just doing some online courses so that’s an option, just in case in you know a year or two or even whenever I could maybe do that.’ 

David bit his lip. ‘Did you just offer to show me your college transcripts?’ 

Patrick rolled his eyes, realising how idiotic that sounded now. ‘Maybe.’ 

‘You don’t think I stalked you online the day we met.’

‘Did you?’

‘You didn’t?’ 

‘No David I didn’t, because I’m a sane person.’ 

David quirked his eyebrow as if to say ‘Your loss.’ and Patrick rolled his eyes. ‘Um, this pizza is pretty much at the perfect temperature in about I’d say 10 minutes so can I suggest we pause this catalogue of your academic history and get into bed with it.’

‘Get into bed with it?’ Patrick raised both eyebrows and folded his eyes ‘Is this evening about to take a bizarre turn?’

David made a face ‘Ew.’ he said ‘I only did that once and let me tell you it was a mistake.’

Patrick nodded ‘Good to know.’

David sighed. He’d derailed his own plan and he felt stupid. He finally put the pizza down on the desk. And looked down, the whole thing was probably stupid. He felt Patrick’s gaze on him and he looked up. ‘It’s stupid.’ he said 

‘Oh I don’t doubt.’ Patrick said ‘but now I know it doesn’t involve me wearing a pizza I kind of want to know.’

‘My plan was…’ David began, ‘You looked so tired today, so my plan was to arrive perfectly timed with pizza for dinnertime and give you pizza in bed, like the eating kind, not the dirty kind, because eating pizza in bed is about my top three things to do in bed. And I thought you might like that too.’ he was slightly pink with embarrassment now and staring resolutely down at the pizza box. 

Patrick started grinning from the moment he was speaking but he hadn’t seen. ‘David.’ he said. No response, he stepped from around the desk and ran a hand over his waist ‘David, I think pizza in bed might just be my top three things to do in bed. Top two maybe even if you’re there too.’ 

David finally looked up, biting his lip and half smiled. 

‘Come on.’ Patrick said jerking his way towards the stairs. ‘Oh hold on.’ he ran over to the door and locked it. 

It naturally took several more trips up and down the stairs for napkins, and soda, but finally, they were curled up on Patrick’s bed, the pizza box between them. 

‘Do we think it’s still the perfect temperature?’ Patrick asked. 

David flicked open the box and unceremoniously poked the centre of it then licked his finger. ‘Perfect’ he said smugly. 

‘Firstly, that’s disgusting.’ Patrick said, screwing up his nose in mock disgust, ‘Secondly.’ he said, ‘This is wonderful. Thank you.’

David raised his eyes to the ceiling ‘It’s just pizza’ he said. 

‘Hey’ Patrick said leaning over to kiss him ‘you wanted to bring me pizza in bed. That’s pretty wonderful.’

‘Ok but it really is going to get cold now.’ David said. 

‘Come on then.’ Patrick said, leaning down for a slice. David wasn’t wrong, it was the perfect temperature. And the pizza place in town walked the perfect line between utterly awful and good pizza. He realised how hungry he was. Being busy had also knocked his meal planning for six and that probably wasn’t helping his general mood. 

‘Perfect’ David said triumphant. 

‘It’s a skill, no doubt.’ Patrick said with a grin. He let David devour a couple of slices before attempting conversation. ‘I’m sorry I was...well whatever I was today.’

‘A total grump?’ David said between mouthfuls ‘Or a pissy little …’ he smirked and Patrick assumed he was forgiven. 

‘Whichever one you choose.’ Patrick said, taking another slice. 

‘Well it’s not like I’m always perfectly reasonable.’ David conceded with a quick glance sideways. He heard Patrick laugh and grinned. He was secretly glad Patrick had just been in a bad mood. It saved him days of anxious worry he really had done something. 

‘And you’re right.’ Patrick added, still serious, David decided to keep eating and let him say whatever was on his mind. He’d learned Patrick waited, waited some more then poured out whatever was in his head. Which was possibly a more sensible approach than David’s internal monologue just becoming external. ‘I’m tired, like really tired, it’s been a hell of a month.’ David watched him pick at his pizza, ‘You know with...one thing and another. And yeah I’ve been doing this course and I had an assignment due so I was up until like 1am finishing yesterday so…’

David decided to park ‘one thing and another’ for now and focus on more practical things. ‘You were up until 1am?’ he asked putting his pizza down ‘And then you opened up this morning.’ 

Patrick nodded. 

‘Why didn’t you just say something?’ David said with a wave of his hands, and pizza slice, ‘I know I'm not a morning person but I am capable of opening up and being one when I have to be.’ 

‘I didn’t want to bother you.’ Patrick said ‘It’s my thing, I should manage my time and not let it impact the business…’

‘Patrick.’ David said with a serious face, ‘We run a Store, not ScotiaBank. You can come in late.’

‘ScotiaBank? That’s you’re go to corporation?’ Patrick laughed. 

‘Well it was that or Rose Video and that didn’t seem like a stellar example.’ David said dryly. 

‘Oh I don’t know they were always pretty understanding about employee personal days.’ Patrick said with a shrug. 

‘It freaks me out you worked for my Dad.’ David said picking at the pizza again 

‘It’s not like he was my line manager.’ Patrick said ‘I was the after school help at a suburban video store.’

‘Everyone starts somewhere Patrick, don't put yourself down!’ David said in what was frankly an uncanny Johnny Rose impression. 

Patrick laughed. ‘Please don’t do that again.’ he said, ‘It’s a bit unnerving.’ 

David smirked, ‘You haven’t heard my impression of my Mother.’ 

‘This is quite enough trauma for one evening, let’s save that one.’ Patrick said, adjusting the pillows on the bed and leaning back, grabbing another slice of pizza as he did so. David copied his approach so they were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bed. ‘Do you wear the wigs?’ he asked with a smirk. 

‘Only if I can get away with it.’ David smirked back ‘She has a spreadsheet.’

‘Knew I liked her.’ Patrick said with a nudge to David’s side. 

David smiled and finished his pizza wiping his hands. ‘She likes you.’ He said his tone serious now, thinking over what he was saying ‘She said you see me.’ he looked down as he said it. 

Patrick smiled, both at Moira’s words, and David’s reaction. He assumed she’d said that the day of the barbeque, the first time they’d really talked. He’d been a little intimidated, as most people probably were, but over the course of their cup of tea he’d grown to see just how much she cared for her Son, and how much she just wanted the best for him. Of course they’d also bonded over some light mockery of David, but mockery that came from a good place, a place of-not that he dared to let himself think it yet- love. 

‘Is that such a bad thing?’ Patrick tested the waters. 

David bit his lip, ‘I guess that depends what you see’ he said still looking down. 

‘Well’ Patrick considered now not looking at David either, ‘I see a good person’ he said with a smile, ‘And I see a nice person even if he doesn’t want other people to know that.’ David grinned still looking down. 

‘Well it only took you five months to say it.’ he said glancing at Patrick out of the corner of his eye. He was teasing but something pulled at his chest to hear it. 

‘And’ Patrick continued. 

‘Oh you’re not done.’ David finally looked over at him, he was looking very wide eyed and earnest in a way that reminded him of something he couldn’t quite place. 

‘I’m really glad I decided to invest in your business David.’ he said with a grin and leaned over, taking David’s cheek in his hand and kissed him. That five months ago that gap between them, that move, had seemed so huge, was not lost on him. Unfortunately just as he pulled away he yawned. 

‘Oh wow that’s just what a guy wants to see.’ David said with a grin, as Patrick tried and failed to stifle another yawn. 

‘Sorry.’ he said, ‘It’s just…’ he gestured at the pizza. 

‘Pizza coma’ David smiled. ‘You want more?’

Patrick shook his head and leaned back into the pillows closing his eyes, thinking he’d just rest for a moment. Then maybe he’d be capable of conversation or something. He sensed David moving around next to him and assumed he was clearing away the pizza box, he heard rustling to his left and right and let him get on with it for a second. Then David’s weight back on the bed next to him. 

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ He asked. 

Patrick flicked open his eyes, frowning as he did so. David had returned with his laptop which was just whirring to life. But that wasn’t what had David’s attention, he was propped up on the pillows holding his right arm up. ‘If you’re going to do that, get over here.’ he said with a smile. 

Patrick chuckled softly, and gladly scooted over under David’s arm and settled down again. He was warm and he couldn’t see himself staying away very long in the circumstances, but he gladly settled in. ‘Ok what are we watching?’ he asked 

‘I think a night like tonight calls for the Great Gilmore Girls rewatch to continue’ David declared opening netflix. 

Patrick mock groaned. He’d let slip he’d watched it with his Mom occasionally which David had taken as permission to start all seven seasons from the start. Not-so secretly Patrick enjoyed it- it was witty and sweet and easy watching. And it saved them bickering over a film. 

‘Hush, you love Luke. Your secret thing for rugged Diner-Owning-Flannel-Wearing men.’ David said hitting play.

‘You got me David, that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a man.’ he said wrapping an arm across David’s stomach, ‘You got a baseball cap you can wear backwards for me’

David swatted him on the head then kissed him there. They settled in to watch, David offering some running commentary for a while on New England towns and behind the scenes gossip that Patrick wasn’t sure if he’d got first hand or just read online, but the sound of it and the gentle tv show was soothing and pretty soon he was asleep. 

David paused in his forensic analysis of Emily Gilmore’s outfit when he realised Patrick was asleep. It was only a little after 8 so he couldn’t let him properly stay asleep yet, otherwise he’d be awake at an even more ungodly hour than usual. But he decided to give him until the end of the episode. When the credits rolled he rubbed a hand up Patrick’s arm and leaned in. ‘Hey think we lost you there for a bit.’

Patrick hummed something and stirred. ‘Sorry.’ he muttered, stretching a bit but not quite moving from David’s side. 

‘S’ok just if I let you sleep now you’ll be awake at four am and that’s not going to end well for either of us.’ David moved his arm so Patrick could pull himself upright a bit. 

‘Hmm. I’ve seen a few four ams lately’ Patrick said with another yawn, and caught David’s look, he shrugged ‘I’m just not sleeping that well’ 

David nodded. They hadn’t had that many chances to actually sleep together in recent weeks, but the few times they had he’d noticed Patrick tossing and turning more in the night. Or getting up earlier than normal. He’d not mentioned it, figuring he’d tell him if he wanted to. And that it was maybe a temporary thing. Or in his darker moments, wondered if it was just while he was there. Clearly some of this flickered across his face because Patrick frowned and said ‘What?’

‘Nothing. I um.’ he rolled his eyes upwards ‘I just I guess I’d wondered if it was only when I was here.’ he looked down. 

Patrick didn’t know what to react to first- the fact that David had noticed, or that he’d worried it was his fault. He chose to lean in and kiss him first. ‘I sleep better when you’re here.’ 

David tried really hard not to grin. He failed. His eyes went all soft as Patrick kissed him again. 

‘Me too.’ David said. They looked at each other for a moment. ‘But we probably shouldn’t go to sleep just yet.’

‘What do you have in mind instead?’ Patrick raised an eyebrow. 

David leaned over and kissed him. ‘We could think of something I guess.’ he said with a soft smile, he did a slightly undignified roll over so he was virtually on top of Patrick, pinning him down just enough, kissing him deeply. They spent a good few minutes like that, enjoying the still novelty effect of being to kiss as long as they liked without interruption. David let his hands wander across as much of Patrick’s body as he could get to without going to the effort of moving either of them. Patrick snaked his hands up David’s back and rested one on his neck. Taking a break from Patrick’s mouth, he came down to his neck for a while. Another hand running up and down his side. Patrick sighed into it. And while David’s mouth on his neck normally drove him a little bit insane, today it felt a bit like being nuzzled by a cat, and he felt himself slowly drifting off a bit. His hands went limp on David’s back and neck, clinging on loosely. He didn’t remember his eyes closing but they must have because the next thing he heard was;

‘Patrick Brewer!’ his eyes snapped open to see David half sat up above him trying not to laugh but also trying to look pissed off ‘Did you just fall asleep while I was giving you my best moves?!’ 

‘Well I’m not asleep while you’re yelling.’ Patrick felt himself hauled upwards, into a sort of sitting position in David’s lap. ‘And were they really your best moves’

David kissed him, in a way that could only be described as petulant. ‘Yes, they were.’ he declared ‘What a waste.’ 

Patrick looped his hands around David’s waist to steady himself. ‘I’m sorry.’ he dipped his gaze to offer a sincere apology ‘Really.’ he added. 

David rolled his eyes and brought his hands to the back of Patrick’s neck. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ he said ‘You’re exhausted. I should be sorry, we don’t have to do anything.’

‘I wasn’t exactly objecting...until you know I fell asleep’ Patrick said with a little smile. ‘God.’ he added ‘Is this sex life after 30? Waiting until one of us isn’t going to fall asleep?’

‘As someone a few years north of 30 I promise you I have plenty of stamina’ David said indignant. 

‘A few years?’ Patrick kissed him for pre-emptive appeasement. ‘But I can confirm you have stamina.’ 

‘Rude.’ David muttered, kissing him back. Patrick still looked a bit worried despite his teasing ‘It’s really ok, you know in case you’re worried.’ he added. He did worry that Patrick had unrealistic expectations of a relationship between two men. Patrick nodded, secretly glad of the reassurance. Sometimes the dynamics of all this still got the better of him. David kissed him again, letting it turn into something deeper ‘and sometimes’ he continued ‘We can just do a lot of this.’ he kissed him again, for a long time, Patrick let himself lean into it ‘Or this’ David said running his hands over Patrick’s back, and up and down his arms, returning to kiss his neck again, then back to his mouth. ‘Without it having to turn into something’ he kissed him again for good measure, ‘Ok?’

Patrick smiled. ‘Ok.’ somewhere in his slightly sleep and now kiss-addled brain a lightbulb went off. ‘Hey, get ready for bed ok? I’ll be back in a minute.’ he detangled himself from David and grabbing his own pajamas on the way made his way to the kitchen, via the bathroom. He’d remembered the cake.

The sight of Patrick appearing at the bedroom door of this frankly ridiculous room, ceramic cats and all. His pristine white t-shirt and faded blue plaid pants, pale and slightly dishevelled, but beaming holding a chocolate cake, would stay in David’s memory forever. In fact if- and when- he was asked when he knew this was ‘really something’ that was one of the moments that popped into his head. He’d never seen someone look as pleased about, and as adorable with a cake before. 

Patrick also would always remember that moment. As he opened the door and David saw the cake his face lit up, it actually lit up there was no other way to describe it. This kind of child-like unguarded glee that made Patrick’s face burst into a similar grin. He remembered thinking in that moment just how happy he was. 

‘Desert?’ Patrick asked as he crossed the room, producing with a flourish a knife and some forks and a spoon from his pockets. David laughed at that. And Patrick grinned wider. 

‘You’re really going to let me eat that in your bed?’ David said. 

‘I trust you.’ Patrick said sitting down, ‘That and it’s laundry day tomorrow anyway.’ a beat before he added ‘but don’t get any ideas about anything filthy with this.’

‘Oh I would never.’ David said quite seriously ‘That would be a waste of what is clearly quality cake.’ 

‘A true crime’ Patrick agreed, placing it down and climbing into bed. He handed David a fork ‘Shall we?’’ he said with a grin. David caught on quickly, and clinked their forks full of cake together in slightly comedic fashion, mimicking their mozzarella stick toast five months ago. The grinned and took a bite. David made a satisfied, if slightly pornographic noise. 

‘I take it this is an acceptable anniversary gift?’ he said. David’s eyes rolled back a bit. 

‘Very much so.’ he said ‘But seriously we don’t have to mark every month, you’ll get bored eventually.’ 

‘Will I?’ Patrick asked, with an air of ‘challenge accepted.’ David looked at him trying not to laugh, or cry, or something he wasn’t sure. 

‘Well whatever makes you happy.’ he said with a shrug going in for another forkful of cake. ‘And you’re a day early.’ 

Patrick took another forkful, ‘Well I'll just have to think of something else to give you tomorrow instead…’ he said with a wicked grin. 

‘If you can stay awake long enough.’ David teased. 

‘Touche’ Patrick agreed, taking the teasing in good faith. ‘Hey’ he said, stopping David mid cake-attack ‘Happy early-anniversary.’ 

David gave him a dopey grin. As stupid as it felt to celebrate each month, he had to admit he was charmed by Patrick’s commitment. ‘Happy early anniversary’ he said leaning over and kissing him, fully aware his mouth was covered in chocolate cake. 

Patrick laughed and wiped at his mouth, ‘Sloppy mouth. I knew I was right.’ he poked at the cake. ‘Go on, you know you want to.’ he said nodding at the laptop. 

With a smirk of glee, David fired up another episode. For which Patrick stayed awake, with the help of the cake, and put up with the running commentary, even joining in with outfit analysis- he was apparently ‘learning.’ 

By the end of that episode he was truly flagging, and David took pity on him and cleared away the mess while he dragged himself to the bathroom. By the time David was back and crawling into bed beside him he was virtually asleep. He rolled over without opening his eyes into David and let him rearrange them both. He might have been asleep even before he finished. 

David had grinned at Patrick going limp in his arms even before he’d arranged the covers over them. And long before he’d muttered a ‘good night’ settling for kissing the top of his head rather than his mouth. Still it felt nice, the reassuring weight of him there. 

In fairness, he mused, a full six hours wasn’t a bad night’s sleep. He’d just prefer not to be awake at 4am. And yet here he was again. Patrick rolled over again trying to get comfortable. His body ached while his mind whirred. God only knew why, clearly he was just getting old. He huffed a bit to himself and willed his mind to quiet. He rolled onto his side and checked the time again. 4.10. Great. 

‘Hey’ David said sleepily from beside him before he felt the weight of him roll into him, wrapping an arm around his chest, head burying into his neck. 

‘Sorry’ Patrick said, ‘Didn’t mean to wake you.’

‘S’ok’ he muttered ‘You ok?’

‘Just awake’ Patrick muttered, running a hand over David’s arm then propping his head onto his hands trying to get comfortable. 

David could feel the tension in Patrick’s body as he rolled into him. His shoulders were stiff and high, even though he was lying down, his head at an awkward angle. He shifted upwards, Patrick half seemed to notice, but was busy being grumpy about being awake. At a slightly higher angle David could rub at Patrick’s neck and shoulders a bit, not a full massage but enough that after a minute or so he felt Patrick’s shoulder’s drop a fraction. It was a technique he used in the Store when Patrick was getting stressed over something-or at him, and the muscle memory of that, as much as the act itself seemed to ease some of the tension. He kept going a bit longer, feeling Patrick lean into his touch. Then he scooted back down and pulled him in towards him, gripping a bit tighter than he would to sleep, letting him know he was there. 

‘Thanks’ Patrick muttered into the pillow. 

David had an idea, ‘Talk to me’ he said. 

‘What? I’m trying to sleep not stay awake’ Patrick at 4am really was grumpy. 

‘I mean, talk to me, about whatever’s on your mind.’ 

‘David it’s 4am I don’t want to get into…’

‘No, just tell me it, whatever it is, out loud. Get it out of your mind.’ Patrick felt him shrug into him ‘It’ll either help or the sound of your voice will send us both to sleep.’ 

Patrick sighed. ‘It’s stupid.’ he said 

‘I once couldn’t sleep for a week because I remembered calling a teacher Mom when I was seven’ David offered. ‘Whatever it is isn’t stupid.’ 

There was a long pause. Patrick debated. It was stupid, David would probaly think he was stupid. But also, it might just help to say some of it out loud. He’d just say the mundane ones. It might at least send them off to sleep. 

‘I think about spreadsheets. At night. It’s stupid. I know I know what I’m doing. Some might even call me cocky with it.’ He felt David laugh into his back, then kiss his shoulder. ‘I worry that I’ve made one tiny mistake and the whole Store will come crashing down because of me. That I’ll ruin your vision. Our hard work.’ he sighed, this is what his brain did for hours on end at night, followed by, ‘I worry I’m not as clever as I think I am.’ Patrick added. ‘That’s why - partly why I didn’t tell you about the course- what if I failed it? I’ve never outright failed a test in my life’ 

David smiled at that, Patrick the straight-A student was exactly what he had imagined. He gave him a reassuring squeeze. 

‘But what if I don’t know anything. Who am I thinking I can do an MBA or Masters or whatever. And if I fucked it up you’d see through me too. And again that I’ll mess it up. And then, because I’m juggling both, and worrying about it, I get tired and I worry more that I’ll make mistakes that keeps me awake, which makes me worry more. And I’m not normally like this, I’m calm I’m confident- very sure of myself as you once said.’ 

David leaned over and kissed his cheek, in part to slow his roll a little, in part to tell him he had been on the defensive that day. Patrick sighed. 

‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately. I’m just...off.’

David didn’t speak, he just lay there, holding his boyfriend letting him work through the thing he did know in his mind, the thing that was making him worry on top of all the day to day stresses. He ran his hand down to find Patrick’s and interlace their fingers and waited.

‘I worry about who I am now.’ Patrick said finally, slowly. He felt something give way in his chest as he did, ‘That’s stupid.’

‘It’s not supid.’ David muttered but didn’t elaborate. He squeezed their fingers encouraging him to carry on. 

‘I know I’m still the same person. I know that.’ Patrick said with a bit more force than he intended. ‘But I’m also not. And that’s good, it’s really good, it’s the best I’m.’ he exhaled ‘I’m more me than I ever was, as pretentious as that sounds.’ David chuckled at that. ‘But I worry I’m...different, not me...that people...I dunno.’

‘Nobody gets to tell you who you are.’ David said. ‘Remember that and you’ll be fine.’

Patrick smiled in the dark and lifted David’s hand to his lips. ‘What if I don’t know really?’

He felt David shrug ‘We’ll figure it out.’ he leaned over and kissed Patrick’s cheek again but as he did Patrick shifted, rolling over into him and lifting his mouth up to David’s to kiss him properly. He’d intended it to be a chaste ‘thank you’ kiss but it morphed into something a bit deeper, more infused with he wasn’t even sure what, but right then he felt like he was clinging to David, trying to figure something out, figure everything out. He was a mess, even though he felt more ‘right’ than he ever had, some of the details had yet to swim into place and for someone who needed organisation and control, it was eating away at him. He clung to David and their kiss a little longer, before pulling back and curling himself into David’s chest. 

‘You’ll get there.’ David said when they pulled apart, as if reading his mind. Wrapping him back up in his arms and feeling him relax. Patrick wove his fingers into David’s T-shirt like a security blanket as they both slowly drifted back off to sleep. 

The next morning, David woke silencing the alarm he’d set on his phone, after turning off Patrick’s (he of course knew the passcode, which was of course, his Birthday). Patrick was sleeping up against him, a hand lightly resting on his stomach. But he was dead asleep. David slipped away easily, pulling the covers back around Patrick and quietly pulled on his clothes ready to slip out- he was going to go home and change first, then open up. He scribbled a note with a page from his journal, and let himself out. 

It was 9am before Patrick woke up. He was completely disoriented. He grabbed at his phone. There was a message from David on the screen sent at 7.30am.

Don’t you dare come in before 10am. Be not a morning person for once x

Patrick smiled. Then realised there was a piece of paper on David’s pillow. He leaned over and picked it up. David’s neat handwriting was on the page. 

I mean it. Don’t come in before 10am. 

He’d known he’d reach for his phone in a panic first. 

You needed the rest. That’s my present to you. 

Patrick smiled realising David was a gestures person, not a gifts person. And to be fair, his getting up at 7am was quite the gesture. 

Bring the pizza with you for lunch. By the way, I will always bring you pizza in bed, for as long as you’ll have me (and my pizza). And I’m starting to believe I don’t have to worry any more. I’m glad I made this happen for us. Happy Five Months. (maybe these monthly things aren’t so bad) 

David xx

P.S bring the cake too before Ray eats it all. 

P.P.S Don’t forget you owe me an extra anniversary ‘present’ 

Patrick smiled. Pizza in bed was officially in his top three things to do in bed too.

**Author's Note:**

> This came from me feeling as tired as Patrick after I hit a major deadline (my book went to the publishers yay) and wishing someone would bring me pizza in bed. As usual, these guys morphed it into something more on both their journies. 
> 
> On a personal note, this series, and generally churning out an ungodly amount of fanfic has kept my sanity while I worked on my scary 'real world' book and my first big deadline. So thank you, anyone, who read, commented, left Kudos. You got me through a month a bit like Patrick's here.


End file.
